


Iron Flowers

by AllOfTheFanfic



Category: Shadowhunters (TV)
Genre: AU, Alternate Universe, Hades and Persephone AU, Hades!Alec, M/M, More tags to appear, Persephone!Magnus, barely there knowledge of greek mythology, sorry - Freeform, the Hades and Persephone AU no one asked for!, yay
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2017-04-25
Updated: 2017-04-25
Packaged: 2018-10-24 00:04:30
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 5,877
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/10730076
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/AllOfTheFanfic/pseuds/AllOfTheFanfic
Summary: The wards in the Underworld are starting to weaken and Alec has to find the reborn Persephone before it's too late and Valentine gets out.But when at-first-glance-mortal Magnus turns out to be the personification of spring itself who doesn't know his true powers it gets a little more complicated than just restoring the wards in a flash.





	Iron Flowers

**Author's Note:**

> Hello! Apparently I'm not dead yet! Surprise! 
> 
> Welcome to my Hades and Persephone AU that no one asked for! I hope you enjoy! ♥ 
> 
> A HUGE thank you to my loveliest beta readers: Jaimie(aka @sarcasticlightwood), who I couldn't have done this without and of course my always there lovelies Sam(@otppurefuckingmagic) and Larissa(@freakypumpkin) who I love with all my heart! ♥♥ 
> 
> This is a multi-chaptered story and I have a bad record with those but I am pretty sure one of those three lovely ladies would kill me if I didn't finish this so you can be sure that this is getting finished! :D 
> 
> Though I AM working through some stuff so updates might be slow, apologies in advance ♥

**Iron Flowers**

The cold wind of the portal was comforting to Alec as he stepped through. Feeling it collapse on itself behind him, Alec closed his eyes and let out a tired sigh. It had been too long since he’d had a chance to relax and take a break. He opened his eyes to a familiar apartment, but immediately winced at the harsh sunlight blinding his tired eyes. Hearing voices in the next room, he shielded his eyes before stepping through the doorway into the kitchen,  greeted by the curious eyes of his brother and sister.

“Wow. You look like a fate worse than death.” Jace grinned and Izzy giggled quietly when  Alec threw him his most exaggerated annoyed eye roll.

“Nice to see you too. How long have I been away?”

He turned to Izzy and handed her the bottle of Ambrosia to put away. She hummed and gave a little twirl as she walked through the open kitchen, causing light to catch off the glass bottle and the amber liquid inside— right into Alec’s sensitive eyes. He groaned and turned away, trying to avoid any further irritation before he could finally pass out in his bed.

“Three days here. So for you, it probably was like a week, right?” Izzy asked as Alec took a heavy seat on the barstool, trying to stay upright.

“Probably.” He shrugged and tried to unfasten his cape one-handed, not having the energy to lift both hands. “It’s kind of hard to keep track of time when the light source doesn’t move.”

Growing frustrated with the last few clips, Alec gave the fabric a harsh tug and felt them finally unclasp. Alec instantly felt lighter when the cape slid off his shoulders. Usually he didn’t notice its weight, but today the heavy leather feathers flowing from his shoulders felt more like they were dragging him down than protecting him. He sighed, rolling out his shoulders and neck to try to get rid of the tension there.

“You know you shouldn’t wear that up here” Izzy chastised. Her voice was too soft to be effective though, and it at least brought a smile to his face.

“Is it too heavy?” Jace asked, worried. “I can try and make it lighter for you.”

Alec just shook his head at the offer. “I’m just tired. Didn’t really have time to sleep while I was away this time, so I’m gonna go pass out soon. “

“You can’t keep doing this, Alec. It won’t help the situation if you’re exhausted all the time. Plus, it’s bad for you.” He looked up at Jace to respond, but found he and Izzy wearing identical worried faces. They weren’t going to leave it alone, were they?

“I really can’t help it, guys.  We have to fix the wards as soon as we can, but we can’t do it without the original maker—and  we don’t even _know_ who that is at this point in time.” Alec braced himself with a few deep, measured breaths against how his siblings would react to what he was about to tell them.

“I haven’t gotten a chance to tell you guys yet, but part of why I’ve been so busy and tired is because there was an incident in Tartarus. Several souls broke out and almost escaped.” He put a hand up before he even heard their gasps, knowing they’d attack him with questions if he didn’t stop them first. “We caught them, of course, but…  We can’t risk Valentine getting out.”

Several moments of astonished silence followed.

“You didn’t tell us it was that bad…” Izzy whispered, clearly still processing the information.

“Because it wasn’t—at first.” Alec shook his head. “I don’t know what happened, or how, really.  But we either need to find Persephone or find a way to put up the wards ourselves, as soon as possible.”

“Got it,” Izzy said, nodding. “I’ll step up my research. Can I get into your library if needed?”

“Go nuts. I’ll even come with you to help.”

Alec made a move to stand, but Izzy put a hand on his shoulder to keep him sitting.

“Nonsense. I have Jace for that. Right now, the only place you’re going is your room and _straight_ to bed. You look like you’re ready to pass out. I’ll order some food to get delivered so you have something to eat later if we’re still out when you wake up.” Alec opened his mouth to argue, but when Jace shook his head at him he snapped it shut again. If _Jace_ was telling him to sleep, he must look particularly wrecked.

“Don’t even try bro, you look dead on your feet,” Jace admonished, grinning at his own joke like it was the smartest thing he’d ever thought of. Alec groaned and rubbed his temples.

“Fine. As long as I don’t have to listen to any more of your stupid jokes today.”

 

* * *

 

It only took a moment for Alec to figure out that he was dreaming. The fuzzy edges around his vision and the dull throb of music that should have been much louder were both dead giveaways. Alec looked around the nightclub, vision blurring when he moved too fast. The people dancing and shifting around him completely ignored Alec, but he was used to it— he could disappear entirely if he wanted to, after all. He watched as the party goers mingled around without a care in the world, never noticing the fragile red threads that trailed behind each of them. Most of the cords were still a vivid, bold red; the people here were quite young. But Alec spotted a handful that were fading to a dull crimson and one or two that had almost entirely blackened. Those poor souls wouldn’t live through the night.

A strange glimmer to his left caught Alec’s attention. Bright lights flashed all around him, making it difficult to track the luminous trail he thought he’d seen. There it was again - a soft glow that countered the sharp bite of the flashing club lighting.  As faint as it was, the familiar shimmer gave Alec hope.

He stood quickly and kept his eyes locked on the golden thread tangling itself in the mass of people. The other patrons parted for him willingly, as if they could unconsciously sense his power and wanted to keep as much distance from him as possible. He followed the gold thread deeper and deeper into the club, bodies around him twisting and writhing, melting together until he realized his dream was slipping away. The edges of his vision grew dark, and he hurried his pace across the dance floor, looking for clues as to where he was. The Fates hadn’t bestowed this gift to him without reason – it was his _responsibility_ to make the connection.

A figure lurked over in the dark corner by the bar, the golden strand disappearing into the shadows around them. The last thing Alec saw before his vision shattered was the word PANDEMONIUM, flashing in bright neon letters...

 

* * *

  

The club, _his club_ , was full of people tonight. Just how he liked it. He had the perfect view of his kingdom, how he liked to call it—much to Ragnor’s dismay—from his elevated VIP podium and was happy to see so many people enjoying themselves. The flashing lights fit perfectly with the throbbing music, both encouraging people to find their rhythm. The bright flashes would have blinded Magnus if he were down among the dancers, but from his elevated lounge he could enjoy his drink in peace without having to squint.

A figure joining him on the sofa caught Magnus’ attention, and he looked up to find Ragnor watching him with a curious expression.

“Magnus, what are you doing here? It’s your day off. If you tell me you’re working, I’m banning you from the club for a week.”

Magnus couldn’t help but smile at his best friend’s empty threats. “No, my work habits aren’t that bad. Can’t I just come here to see you?”

“No. We’re meeting tomorrow. What’s wrong?”

Now that he could see that Ragnor’s undivided attention was on him. Magnus just shrugged and figured that there was no reason to avoid the subject.

“I had a weird dream that I can’t even remember, but it made me restless all day. Yoga didn’t help, neither did gardening or other means of meditation. I’m stumped, so now I’m here in hopes of getting drunk and dancing it out or finding someone fun to distract me for the night.” He turned to Ragnor with a grin, just in time to see him roll his eyes fondly.

“You do you, my dear friend. But we’re talking about this tomorrow. You’ve been having a lot of those dreams lately and this can’t keep happening. You’ll collapse from exhaustion if it does.” Ragnor’s expression turned serious and Magnus knew better than try and argue the decision. Ragnor could be very parental when he wanted to.

"Fine, mom.” It was Magnus’ turn to roll his eyes fondly “But for now I’m gonna have my fun and try to forget my weird dreams.” He took Ragnor’s silence as acceptance of his plan, and relaxed fully into the plush couch to enjoy the charged atmosphere of the club and people around him.

Magnus had the perfect view of both the people walking in the entrance and the bar that was just across the dance floor. When he was on duty, the viewpoint helped to make sure the club was running smoothly. He was easily seen and the employees could reach him quickly in case of an emergency. On off nights like this one though, he enjoyed the opportunity his perch afforded when someone particularly attractive walked in. Like right now.

The epitome of tall, dark, and handsome walked in, and Magnus watched him look around, looking a little lost for a second. But as he started walking again, Magnus watched in fascination as the crowd parted for him without people themselves even noticing. It was like he commanded people with just his mere presence. Magnus’ felt his own curiosity spike just from watching this man stride through his club to take a seat at the bar.

Magnus looked to his friend with a devious smile on his face. He knew Ragnor immediately recognised from the countless times he’d seen it when instead of asking the obvious question, Ragnor just raised his eyebrows, waiting for Magnus to explain.

“Look at that. See, I told you we have the best seats in the club.” At first Ragnor didn’t seem to find anything interesting as he glanced once across the club, but when Magnus pointed out his eye candy, his eyes seemed to widen just a fraction.

Ragnor was good at hiding his emotions, set as he was on keeping up the grumpy old man persona. But Magnus knew surprise on his best friend’s face when he saw it. Ragnor reeled his expression back in as he turned back to Magnus.

"Really? That guy?”

Magnus scoffed and rolled his eyes. “Don’t lie to me. What’s wrong? Is he bad news?” Magnus was about to ask Ragnor if he should call for security, only for his friend to shake his head to silence him.

“Calm down, you’re always so fast to react, my friend.” With a private fond smile Ragnor shook his head again before continuing. “He’s not bad news. Let’s say he’s a friend of a friend, something like that.” Ragnor shrugged and just like that he was back to being the stoic Ragnor Magnus knew and loved.  

“What did he do? Step on your shoe once and not apologise?” He laughed at Ragnor’s scowl and finished his leftover drink in one gulp. “Oops, look at that. Time to get a refill.” He winked at his best friend, standing up and making his way down the glass stairs into the mass of people.

Feeling the life and the energy of a happy crowd brought a grin to Magnus’ face just from being a part of it. The thrum of bodies happily moving around him made his own body buzz with excitement, like he was sharing the same energy as them just from stepping into the crowd.

Magnus stopped to dance with one person or another as he made his way through the dance floor leisurely, enjoying his evening. But he couldn’t take his eyes off the tall figure next to the bar for long. Now that he was closer, he could see how handsome the man was with his dark hair and light stubble on his chin. His chiseled features reminded Magnus of a marble statue. He seemed somewhat out of place in the club, like he didn’t exactly belong there. But Magnus couldn’t imagine this man belonging anywhere, it was like the stranger created his own bubble of space around himself that no one dared to breach. Maybe that was why no one had come up to him to try and talk. Magnus couldn’t think of any other reason, especially with the tight shirt hugging his torso so perfectly.

Magnus approached slowly, making sure the man would see him in his peripheral vision before waving to the bartender, asking for his usual drink.

“I don’t think I’ve ever seen you here before.” Magnus watched a whirlwind of emotion run over the stranger’s face in the span of a few seconds. First excitement, then confusion mixed with disappointment, just before a shy and curious smile stretched over the pretty stranger's face.

Magnus let an amused smile slip onto his own face. He knew he looked good with his leather pants and a deep cut shirt and necklaces accentuating his abs. Along with his spiked hair and heavy makeup, he guessed he was a little much to take in, especially if he was right and the stranger was new to the scene. Maybe that was why it took a second longer for the man to answer.

“I’m sorry, I was expecting someone I know.” Magnus reeled his expression into something polite and neutral, but before he could offer to leave the stranger realised what he’d said and corrected himself, an attractive blush appearing on his pale cheeks.

“Not that you’re.. uh.. Unwelcome? I was just really surprised, sorry..” His blush seemed even brighter now and Magnus chuckled

“I’m Magnus.”

“Alec.”

Magnus tilted his head, thinking. “Short for Alexander, I assume?” Alec nodded and Magnus hummed in response. “Such a waste to shorten such a beautiful name, Alexander.” The name rolled off his tongue naturally, as if he’d been saying it all his life. “So, was I right? Is it your first time in this club?”

Alec nodded as he watched Magnus take a sip of his own drink, eyes following his throat for a moment. A smirk pulled on Magnus’ lips.

“A… friend told me about it.”

Magnus gave Alec a charming smile and was delighted find Alec’s eyes jump from his eyes to his mouth, to his throat and back to his lips. Well, at least Alec was appreciating him just as much as he was appreciating Alec.

Magnus found himself surprised when he realised that it wasn’t just Alec’s looks keeping his attention. Talking to him was easy and fun, and when he smiled, the whole club faded away. Magnus couldn’t help but feel like this has happened before, like he’d seen that smile at some point of his life, but would he have really forgotten it?

“Have we… met before?”

Alec’s eyebrows drew together as he looked at Magnus again, as if studying him. “No. I’m pretty sure I would have remembered you. You look like you’re hard to forget.” He finished with a cheeky smile that made Magnus chuckle and forget the heavy feeling curling in his stomach.

“Do you want to dance?” He stepped closer to Alec, invading his space, but Alec didn’t look like he minded. The cute blush stained his cheeks practically permanently. Alec licked his lips, momentarily distracting Magnus, and nodded, standing up from the bar chair he was occupying.

Magnus was about to lead him to the dance floor when Alec froze, as his eyes caught something or someone across the room. Magnus turned to look, desperate to see if everything was okay, but nothing seemed out of the ordinary.

“Remember I said I was expecting someone else?” Alec started with an apologetic tone. “Well, I think I saw someone who could help me find them.” Alec looked really apologetic, but Magnus still felt disappointment curling inside of him. “I’m really sorry, I really need to find this person. I wouldn’t be leaving otherwise.”

Magnus raised an eyebrow. “Doesn’t matter. Go.” He gave Alec a shrug and could feel his face closing off on its own.

Alec bit his lip and sighed. He looked between whoever he saw, back to Magnus, and back to this other person. “Sorry. Maybe next time?” He left as soon as Magnus gave him a quick nod.

Magnus rolled his eyes at the wasted opportunity. He’d spent a good amount of time talking Alec up, expecting his evening to end really well—preferably with both of them in a bed—but now he was no longer in the mood for that. Turning to check if Ragnor was still on the podium and finding the usual sofa empty, Magnus turned to the dance floor and put on his usual smile that felt just a little forced. Alec had been a welcome distraction for a while, but Magnus didn’t need to rely on him to lift his mood.

Once again he relied on the happy crowd of the dance floor, content to get lost in it, to just feel his own body moving to the music, sometimes with a partner, other times solo, but always just as distracting. A pleasant shiver ran down his spine and Magnus felt his forced smile melt into a real one as he closed his eyes, letting the music take over.

 

* * *

 

The last moment of his dream clung to Magnus as he jerked awake. He desperately tried to call his dream back, but the feeling of warmth and joy faded away, leaving only gray melancholy behind. All Magnus could recall now was a warm presence next to him and a field of flowers before him. Magnus blinked again at the cold sunshine streaming through the crack in the heavy curtains of his bedroom. Once again, the sun was hiding behind heavy clouds and Magnus longed to feel warm sunshine waking him up from heavy sleep.

A heavy longing settled in his chest. Magnus wondered if he wished more for the sun or for the dream to come back. Turning on his side, he winced at the pounding in his head.  

Hangovers had never been a problem for him. He’d always joked that he was just blessed by the Gods, to which Ragnor usually just rolled his eyes with a snort and continued reading his book. But this morning Magnus felt heavy, he didn’t want to get out of bed and his head kept throbbing painfully. Last night’s plan to forget the annoying feeling nagging at him after the weird dream had been a success, if only for a little while. He had his fun drinking and dancing, but didn’t end up taking a lover home.

But now the feeling was back again, and Magnus only remembered a fraction of the dream that made him feel that way. He felt cheated. The heavy weight anchored in his chest wasn’t worth the few glimpses of the dream he remembered—even if the glimpses were the most wonderful dream he’d ever remembered having.

And there was that sense of déjà-vu again that he couldn’t shake. He had the same feeling when talking to Alexander last night, like he’d already known him but forgotten who he was. Now he felt like he already knew the warm presence in the dream, and that he’d seen the colorful fields of flowers at some point in his life, but the more Magnus thought about it, the more his head throbbed, leaving Magnus curled up in his bed, trying not to move.

Maybe he was going mad. Ragnor had teased him that it would eventually happen, but Magnus never expected that it would happen this soon. Maybe he should ask Catarina.

Remembering his friends, Magnus carefully reached out for his phone to check the time and sighed in relief at seeing that he still had plenty of time before meeting them.

He laid back on his pillow, content to stall the process of getting up by taking inventory of his room. Everything was in its place - shelves full of knickknacks, mementos and books, the opened closet door and the mess surrounding it, full of outfit choices hanging around on any surface they could. Apparently, the worst of it was his pants hanging on his vanity mirror, which wasn’t wild at all. Even his makeup tray was still in perfect disarray, a system that only he could understand. Magnus counted that as a success. At least he hadn’t made more of a mess than usual when he’d come home last night.

Cleaning up to look presentable took Magnus a little longer than he was used to. He was still feeling sluggish and heavy, constantly fighting the gray fog settling around his body. He forced himself to keep moving because he knew that if he gave into the feelings of melancholy and longing, he wouldn’t be able to snap out of it again for a few days at least. So he did the one thing that always helped.

Watering and taking care of his plants took up a pleasurable part of his morning. He made sure to check all of the plants that took up a significant part of his loft, and give them anything they needed. Ragnor was the only one who understood his obsession with plants, and even indulged him by taking care of his flowers if he left for a few days. Magnus talked to each of the plants, playing obvious favorites with his Venus Flytrap Eliot, and the tiny cactus he’d named Joshua, having heard that it helped them grow. Taking special care of the pink carnations that had once been his mother’s favourite, Magnus hummed a familiar tune from his childhood, both to the flowers and himself. He couldn’t wait for the flowers to bloom and give his loft that extra spot of color.

This routine was a kind of meditation, calming and grounding him while keeping him busy. Also caring for something else, even something as small as a plant, helped him feel important. Opening the balcony doors to let in some fresh air, Magnus shivered at the cold gust of wind that made his windchimes let out a pleasant arrangement of sounds. It was still way too cold to move some of his bigger plants back on the balcony. With the sun still hiding and Magnus’ mood still lingering around him the city looked even more gray than it usually did.

 

* * *

 

The streets were loud and bustling as always, even if everything around him seemed to be colored in gray tones. Not wanting to get cold just standing around, Magnus started walking in the direction of Ragnor’s place, wishing for the warm weather to come sooner. He missed going on walks in the park and relaxing in the sun.

When he had moved to the city, Magnus had made every effort he could to connect to it, to make it feel like home so he could escape his past. Magnus always got a pleasant rush walking through a mass of people who were always running somewhere, only to turn a corner and find an unexpected quiet place. Everyone in the city was connected and separate at the same time, much like Magnus found nature to be.

He’d travelled when he could, found places with more nature, explored because he wanted to know more and feel more. And the more he traveled to different places, the more he saw the similarities between a deep forest and his beloved city. He could almost feel how the forest would breathe on its own and found the same rhythm in the heartbeat of New York.

His eyes caught something new on the familiar path to Ragnor’s place and Magnus stopped. With a smile he walked into the new flower shop and was immediately greeted by a lovely lady with dark hair and deep dark eyes.

“Hi! How can I help you?”

“Hi there. You’re new here, right? I haven’t seen this store before.” The lady gave him a warm smile and a confirming nod.

“Just opened up yesterday, actually. You must know the neighbourhood pretty well to notice a new store opening up.”

“I do, but I actually just notice flower shops all the time. I’m a little obsessed with plants.” Magnus gave her a little scheming wink and got distracted by a small shelf of pretty pastel succulents and a lonely cactus with sharp looking spikes.

“You’d think that someone who loves plants that much would try and live somewhere in nature, but somehow New York has taken my heart with its restless energy. Sometimes it’s like a living organism itself, you know? Like a whole rainforest, the taller buildings shielding the small ones from the wind and giving them space to grow safely…”

He’d been talking while looking at the cactus, giving it more of his attention than the lady standing right next to him, so when he turned to her and saw her confused expression Magnus had to keep himself from rolling his eyes. Whether his exasperation was with her or himself he wasn’t sure.

Figuring he wouldn’t receive any sort of answer, Magnus just shrugged and picked up the small potted cactus, careful not to touch any of the spikes, and turned back to the lady with a polite smile.

“I want this little guy home.”

Making sure the protective plastic was secure around the sharp points of his new friend, Magnus continued on to Ragnor’s building. Come to think of it, Ragnor and this cactus had quite a bit in common; fondness for dressing in green tones, sharp and precise zinging comments, and a surprising resilience to hostile environments… It was settled, he’d call the little guy Ragnor. He was still debating on whether he would keep it for himself or leave it at Ragnor’s care when he finally arrived at the building.

Magnus let himself in without hesitation at the front door, preferring to try to surprise his best friend over calling out to announce his arrival. However, he found himself as the surprised party when he heard voices coming from the living room. He peeked around the corner, only to see Ragnor discussing something in hushed tones with Alexander.

_What was he doing here?_ Magnus remembered Ragnor telling him something about Alec, but he didn’t make the connection last night and now Magnus was left feeling stupid. Regardless, he still didn’t expect to find the two alone in Ragnor’s apartment when Magnus was supposed to be the one meeting with Ragnor.

“I’m telling you, we need to find them. This is bad. We’ve ignored the warning signs before and look where that got us. I’ve got The Fates telling me Persephone was at the club where I met you. Are you sure you haven’t seen them?”

“Ha- Alec. I get it, okay, but I can’t feel them either. She or he must still be dormant and we can’t do much about it, no matter how much you want it to be different. I could try and come to see if I know how to restore the wards but-” He would have continued if Alec hadn’t noticed Magnus first and turned to him with wide eyes.

Magnus looked at Ragnor, trying to parse together what was happening. Were they trying to find someone? Nothing he heard made sense. Dormant? What is that even supposed to mean? Magnus leaned on the doorframe, keeping his eyes on Ragnor.

“What is happening? Why is he here? I assume you met last night… or apparently, you two know each other.” Barely sparing a glance at Alec, Magnus made sure Ragnor knew who his questions were directed at. This whole situation was weird and Magnus could feel his morning headache coming back full force.

“Magnus—you’re early. Can you give us time to finish talking, and then I’ll explain everything?” Ragnor’s voice was calm and collected, but his eyes looked panicked, clearly still surprised at his unexpected appearance.

“Why can’t you just explain now? You’re obviously looking for someone, maybe I can help?” Even if Magnus was angry at Ragnor for keeping secrets from him, he was willing to give his best friend a chance.

“Later, Magnus. Can you wait for me in the kitchen please?”

“Am I a child now?” Anger bubbled up through Magnus. He knew he was younger than both of his friends, but they had never treated him like Ragnor was doing now. He could feel the hurt lashing out of him with jaded words.

“You’re certainly acting like one. What’s gotten into you? Can’t you just do as you’re told once in your life?” Magnus saw horror flash through Ragnor’s eyes as he realised what he’d said. He could feel his own anger setting in around him, like an armor ready to deflect everything coming his way. Magnus had to take a moment to breathe and remind himself that he was talking to Ragnor and not anyone else before glaring back.

“Fine. But if you take too long, I am leaving.” He turned and heard Ragnor swear under his breath before he was out of the room and on his way to the kitchen.

He felt like a child being ordered away from the adults because they were talking about serious matters and his opinion wasn’t valued. It made his blood boil.

Magnus threw his coat on a chair in the kitchen, remembering too late about the little flower pot in the front pocket. He rushed to check, sighing once he could see that the little cactus was okay. Ragnor was definitely not worthy of receiving this little gift, he’d keep it and bitch about the big Ragnor to the little one.

Rubbing his temple, Magnus tried to calm himself and looked around the kitchen for a distraction. There was a half-empty, ornate glass bottle of something beside two glasses on the counter. It proved to be distraction enough, Magnus had never seen any liquid like that. It reminded him of liquid gold, catching the kitchen light and nearly glowing.

Shrugging to himself, he poured a small amount into a new glass, just to see what it tasted like and if he could recognise it. Ragnor surely owed him a drink, anyway. It smelled sweet and familiar but Magnus couldn’t think of any place he’d ever would have seen or tasted something like this. He held up the glass to the light, without the layer of cut crystal from the bottle obscuring it, the liquid looked even more like shimmering gold as Magnus sloshed it around.

At the sound of Ragnor’s steps approaching the kitchen, Magnus downed the drink in one gulp without a second thought. It tasted delicious, like summer and fruits, it smelled eerily like flowers and springtime. Magnus felt it settling in his stomach, warmth spreading through his body. Ragnor stepped into the kitchen, his gaze locking to the glass in his hand with horror. Ragnor called out to him, and Magnus felt himself sway before everything went black.

 

* * *

 

He was sure he was dreaming. Everything around him was a little fuzzy and he had trouble concentrating on anything in particular. When he moved too fast the world would swim before allowing him to catch up.

For some inexplicable reason, it was cold. He was sure it shouldn’t be this cold. Magnus tried to make sense of the situation, drawing his brows together. Looking around, he could see the nature struggling to fight back the harsh winter. It wasn’t supposed to be like this. Everything was black and dead, the trees looming high and casting dark and cold shadows on everything below. Icy wind howled as Magnus looked around again, trying to understand where he was.

Nothing made sense. Magnus tried to connect what he was seeing to what he knew but it just wouldn’t. He knew that by this time of the year, everything around him should be alive and blooming, but all he saw was a gray landscape.

The only warmth Magnus felt was running through his body, but it felt hotter and restless than it should, like it wanted to break out and escape. Looking down at his hands, he saw golden sparks flying off his fingers and smiled, not scared one bit. Extending his hands in front of him he willed the sparks to fly from his fingers to share his warmth with his surroundings.

In a flash, everything came alive. The trees and flowers bloomed around him and he felt the energy dancing around his body, like he was a part of everything around him.

Magnus knelt on the grass, feeling warmer than he could ever remember being.

 

* * *

 

Alec looked worriedly at Magnus in Ragnor’s arms. They had forgotten they’d left the Ambrosia on the table, and now a mortal had tasted it. But even for a mortal, this was an unusual reaction. Usually they’d get a high, especially considering the small amount that Magnus took. The worst that could have happened was that Magnus would have gotten really horny, Alec’s seen that effect. But no, Magnus had slumped into his best friend’s arms and failed to respond to anything.

Alec reassured Ragnor that Magnus wasn’t dying; he could see his string bright and red disappearing right into Magnus’ chest with no sign of darkening. In fact, he watched as the string changed right before his eyes, growing brighter and hotter, slowly shifting from red into hues of gold. Alec blinked, trying to comprehend what was happening. He’d never seen anything like this.

A gasp from Magnus made Alec jump and watch in anticipation. The air around them shifted and shivered, Alec’s jaw dropping as golden lines that looked like blooming flowers and leaves appeared and disappeared on Magnus’ skin. They started from his fingertips, traveling up his forearms, vanishing under his clothes only to reappear on his neck, over his face and finally disappearing around his eyes. When Magnus took another breath and opened his eyes, they  glowed an eerie, bright gold. Ragnor tried calling to him again, only to have Magnus slump back to unconsciousness.

Then a wave of familiar energy crashed into Alec from Magnus' limp body. Alec’s shocked mind couldn’t wrap around what just happened, and he was left speechless as he and Ragnor exchanged knowing glances. He’d never heard of this before. A mortal receiving a golden string that matched his own. The painfully familiar magic ran through his body, causing shivers and goosebumps in its wake, leaving him with a familiar buzz. Alec couldn’t believe it.

 

They had found Persephone.

**Author's Note:**

> I've read this so many times that I don't even know if it's good anymore! So be sure to tell me what you think ;)


End file.
